I hope I’m not stepping on Gwen’s toes here, but those of you who read me elsewhere—particularly at Want Not—know that I’m not so much “frugal” as I am “compulsively cheap.” Some of this comes from having been a chronically underemployed single mom for a number of years and some of it is just how I am. But it occurred to me while we were discussing pay rates that I’ve often heard folks talking about how expensive it is to go into business on your own.

So I thought I’d divulge some of my exciting money-saving tips for freelancers. I realize that most of them are pretty ordinary and may carry a “duh” factor, but if just one person finds one of these suggestions useful, I’ll consider this time well spent.

Here is what I need to do my work and stay in touch with clients: A computer, internet access, email, a scheduling system, long-distance phone service, a printer, a scanner, and a fax machine. Right? Well, sort of.

1) I use SkypeOut for my long distance calls. I don’t have long distance service on my home phone, at all. I know a lot of people use their cell phones for long distance, and that was my original intent—but then I discovered that my cellular coverage at home left a lot to be desired. The solution? I signed up for Skype Unlimited, which costs $29.95 for the entire year. Except, being me, I actually signed up during their end-of-the-year promo where it’s half price: twelve months of unlimited long distance for $15. I’m always at my computer for business calls, anyway, so it’s easy enough to plug in my headset and Skype away.

2) I use eFax instead of owning a fax machine. There are different levels of membership there to meet various needs, but I don’t need to do a lot of faxing, so I have an eFaxFree account. For the excellent price of absolutely nothing, I’m able to receive faxes. Perfect. I could pay for the privilege of faxing stuff out to folks, or I could do what I do instead: I scan paperwork and email it back as a PDF.

3) I refuse to succumb to a Crackberry or iPhone. This is a money matter as well as a life-balance issue. I don’t want to spend the dough, plus I know myself and I know I’d be working all the time if I carried something in my purse that allowed me to do so. Just say no. Instead, I do 4 and 5:

4) I use Google Calendar and my cell phone’s calendar to stay organized. Both are free, coordinating between the two means I’ve got all my appointments on my calendar as well as in my purse, and my husband and my kids’ father can check my calendar as well.

5) I have a cell phone that allows me to send and receive email. Yes, sometimes you have to deal with work stuff on the fly. I would be foolish to refuse to have that access at all. So I pay my cell provider an additional $5/month for web access, and if I need to deal with email on the road, I can. However, the interface leaves a lot to be desired, and so I’m not tempted to blog or otherwise try to work on assignments while sitting at soccer practice or whatever. I’m not saying this is ideal for everyone, but for me, it absolutely is—both financially and philosophically.

None of these tips is earth-shattering and none of them will remove the sting of buying a new computer when you’d rather be saving up for a new car or new carpet or whatever, but the little things do add up. (And when you’re adding ‘em up, don’t forget to take them as tax deductions!)